As December approaches, college students get more and more sluggish in their classes and more anxious for finals to be over just because they are excited to go on that winter/Holiday break. You know… that month long break where you can finally get away from everything, going home to see family and friends but most importantly…getting a little bit of time off from classes and responsibilities. We don't have to worry about deadlines or studying, we just get this one month off to sleep in our own beds, use a normal sized shower and not have to worry about buying our own food. It’s fantastic! Although all of those things may be great, deep down inside we miss being on campus. We miss making up every day with your best friend sleeping right on the other side of the room. You miss staying up till 3am jamming out to music and movie nights all the time. You miss having your shoulder to cry on with you all the time. Not to mention, we love being able to “eat out” without having to waste gas to actually go out or even better… not having to make our own meals! We miss having our days filled with things to do each and every day. Stuff-a-bear, decorating cookies, Emoji mugs, etc. yeah… it filled our room with things we may never use or wear, but it was the fact that we never had a dull day, whether you go with a friend or you go alone and meet someone there, it was always fun no matter what. Being home is more than amazing, but it's the feeling of independence that we miss the most when we are away from school. You miss the people who went from being strangers, to friends and then friends to family. Even though most of us may not admit it, we even miss those days waking up early or staying out late for lift or practice. It’s that feeling of being with people who constantly make us feel wanted or like we belong that we miss when we go on winter break. Personally, I miss being away for Christmas break because my roommate became my best friend and we used to spend every day together, and now that I don't get to wake up with her to go get lunch… it’s just so weird. And to be honest, sometimes it’s hard to sleep in my own bed because I have gotten so used to the one back at school… weird, right?! I miss spending time with my team. We are all from different places but I miss study hall hours together and rambling on about Disney and jamming out during our van rides to practice. These strangers went from friends to family and being away from them just feels abnormal to me. I’m going to be the first to say this, I cannot wait to go back to school!

Yeah, we come back in a month but it’s that month that feels so short but yet so long without those people we are so used to spending every single day with. During that month we come to realize that they days that we dread so much to wake up for are the day that we miss the most when they are gone. Don't get me wrong… I love coming home and seeing everyone after being away, but once I’m home, I begin to miss the family I created while being away. Enjoy the little moments and the people you meet because you never realize how big of an impact they will have on you once you leave (even if it is for only a short time).